The Soul Cap, a swim cap specifically designed for natural Black hair curly and in locked and braided styles, was finally approved on September 2 by FINA, the International Swimming Federation.
Soul Cap described a press release statement to magnify what the decision means for the swimming world. “For a long time, conventional swim caps have been an obstacle for swimmers with thick, curly, or volume-blessed hair. They can’t always find a cap that fits their hair type, and that often means that swimmers from some backgrounds end up avoiding competitions or giving up the sport entirely.” The website continued, “We want to see swimming become an accessible sport, with equipment and swimwear that lets anyone get involved and see success.”
“And this new approval by FINA is a huge step in the right direction–bringing inclusive swimwear into competitive swimming, and helping to bring down some of the obstacles that are keeping swimmers away from the sport.”
Last year, the Soul Cap was banned during the Tokyo Olympics in a public rejection. British swimmer Alice Dearing – who now works closely with Soup Cap – was refused to be able to wear the cap. The FINA association said that swimmers “never used, neither require to use, caps of such size and configuration” and that the cap didn’t fit the form of the head, which was against the rules. Although Fina continued to later say they would reconsider the decision.
Since our swim cap rejection has come to light, FINA have reached out to us directly and together we have had an open discussion. FINA have apologised, pledged to review its application process, and offered their full support throughout the next submission in September
— SOUL CAP (@soulcapofficial) July 21, 2021
“We’re thrilled to see our caps being approved for competitive use, and we’re excited to see the future of a sport that’s becoming more inclusive for the next generation of young swimmers.” Soul Cap finished.
